Rio de Janeiro
When most people think of Rio they think of Copacabana Beach and while it is spectacular, there are lots of other things to explore in Rio as well.
<img src="http://blog.pangea-collection.com/wp-content/copa.thumbnail.JPG" alt="Copa"
There are a few sites which provide an incredible view of the city, fascinating architecture and amazing shopping from precious gems to leather goods.
While Brazilian fashion design is not as well known as it is for other countries, is among the top both in quality and in style (at least in my opinion). The exuberance of the culture is reflected in the designs. And not to be forgotten are the Brazilian bikinis and an absolute must are the Havianna’s, often imitated never duplicated. If you are a shoe shopper, you will be in heaven in Brazil.
Here are some of my suggestions of things/areas to discover:
The Best Sites
Pão de Açúcar (Sugar Loaf Mountain) is stunningly beautiful. You can take a cable car to the top. I’m told the view of Rio from here is amazing, I never made it. I just looked at the beautiful mountain from my hotel room. If you’re a 007 buff you’ll know that one of them (sorry, I don’t know which one) was filmed here.
Corcovado
This is the famous statue of Christ set high on top of a mountain. This is another one of the must sees that I didn’t because oh, I went shopping that day. Just so you don’t think that I’m a material girl, I was in Rio on a business trip and didn’t have a lot of free time. What free time I did have, I spent boutique shopping and eating those wonderful little cheese ball bread things (see the section on great food)!
Anyway back to the Corcovado, the statue is an Art Deco monument which is 30 m/98ft tall. You take a train then escalator up to the statue and marvel at the monument and the beautiful city below.
Copacabana
For many this is the reason to come to Rio. It is quite beautiful and the boardwalk along side of it is cool too. It is beautifully patterned in black and white stones.
Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas
This is a nice place to take a walk if you have the time. It’s a lagoon with an 8.5 km cycling and walking path around it. It’s near Ipanema. Very pretty.
Great Shopping
If you are looking for fine gems (precious and semi precious), Rio is a great place to go shopping. There are two main players in Rio, H. Stern and Amsterdam Sauer.
H. Stern often has a representative in each of the major hotels and will provide complimentary transportation to and from the store. There are a number of locations but the best is the one in Ipanema, it’s the main store and office for their international operations.
Amsterdam Saucer www.amsterdamsauer.com
The location in Ipanema has a store and a museum, which is completely fascinating. If you are interested in stones at all, I’d highly recommend it. It’s very educational, interesting and doesn’t take too much time.
IpanemaThis is a wonderful area to wander from boutique to boutique and discover what is so great about Brazilian design. You will also find some the best restaurants and evening entertainment in this area.
CentroThis is the old (centre) part of town and also where most of the monument and museums can be found. It’s best to go during the week rather than the weekend.
There are a few good pedestrian streets/areas for fashion, Rua da Alfândega, Rua Uruguaiana, Rua Buenos Aires and Rua Gonçalves Dias. These streets are full of shops, perfect for wandering.
Copacabana Boardwalk
On the weekend check out the boardwalk along Copacabana beach where a number of small independent artisans are selling craft and art items.
Great Food
I loved the food in Rio, although, I wouldn’t recommend it if you are either:
a) a vegetarian or b) on a diet!
I think I gained over 5 pounds while there for a week.
The most popular style of restaurant to eat at while in Brazil is called Churrascaria. You can also sometimes find these restaurants in North America and Europe. The style/concept is the same but there’s no comparison to the quality of real thing in Brazil.
The concept of a Churrascaria is a combination of a buffet (salads etc.) and constant pieces of meat on large spits sliced at your table onto your plate. The spits each contain one of many different types of meat. For example the meat might be pieces of chicken, sausages (we’re talking about 20 whole sausages on a single spit), full roasts of pork or beef, fish, ribs etc.
Okay so here’s how it works…imagine a guy with a long spit of this meat (like the size you see at the rotisseries full of chicken) he puts the pokey end on your plate, which is still in front of you and with a huge knife, slices it onto your plate from over your shoulder! Pretty scary stuff.
The parade of meat never ends. There are many men (I don’t think they call them waiters) who each bring out a spit of something and they go from table to table until the spit is empty. There is another guy right behind him with another type of meat who does the same thing. This process is constant and they keep coming. The restaurant will give you two cards or one with two sides. It’s basically like a green means bring it on I’m a carnivore and haven’t eaten in a week and red means, I’m about to burst give me a few minutes to digest! You can flip back and forth between the colours.
The absolute best of the meat choices is picanha, it’s a very tender rump steak and has wonderful flavour as a result of the seasoning. There are also other cuts such as fraldinha (bottom sirloin) and alcatra (top sirloin). The sausages are also excellent. Side dishes include rice, potatoes and beans and of course the salad bar. And no meal would be complete with out the little round cheese bread balls (sorry can’t remember the name), they’re to die for, and likely responsible for the 5 pound weight gain!
What to drink
Caipirinhas of course! This is the cocktail of Brazil. A Caipirinha is a cocktail made of Cachaça (similar to rum) sugar and lime.
If cocktails are not your thing, go for a Chilean wine, they are making a real presence in the wine world. Or if you are a beer drinker, there are local Brazilian beers, I can’t personally recommend as I never touch the stuff.
Metro/Subway
Although I have never myself taken the Metro/Subway in Rio, according to Frommers it’s safe and efficient. I would still advise against using the Metro or walking in the evenings where a taxi directly to and from your destination is highly advised.
Be Aware
A word of warning, Rio can be dangerous. Although since the early 1990’s the government has been tracking down on street violence you still need to keep your wits about you and never carry a lot of cash or wear jewellery. Be aware of where you are walking and take a taxi directly do and from any place you are going in the evening.
Do not wander into the favelas otherwise known as (shanty towns) found in and around the city. It is in these areas that the majority of crime occurs within Rio. The beach should be avoided in the evenings as well.
A word about the men…
They’re Brazilian, they can’t help it!
Happy Exploring!
